The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1887-10-07
The Advance in Coal.

There is reason for the advance III The
price of anthrocite coal, says the Philadelphia
Times, beside the miners strike in the Lehlgh
district which has not been given any proml-
hence. The output for the first eight months
of the year has been 2,250,O0O tons greater
than for the same period last year, while the
stock in first hands is less than at the same
time last year. The indications are that the
anthracite consumption for 1887 will be ten
per cent. greater than for 1886.
With the available supply Of anthracite and
the amply carrying capacity of the railways
and canals that lead from that region III
per cent increase in the consumption would
afford small reason for the sharp advance Ill
prices which has taken place within the past
few DAYS were il not for the fact that d few
great corporations control the entire business.
There was evidently a good profit in mining
and carving coal at the old prices, and there
are enough idle miners to increase the output
20 per cent or more if necessary without ne
cessitating any increase in price.
The advance of thirty cents Or more per ton
is one that will bear heavily upon the great
mass of cpmparitively poor people who must
buy coal or suffer from cold. Ii is very doubt
ful. therefore, whether the forced rise, which
is clearly the work of a coal pool, is justified
bv any natural trade conditions. The unna-
tural conditions created by pools Of this kind
furnished the basis for about all the real DIS
content that exists among the great mass OF
the working people of this country, an 1t Is a
oues,ion whether i forced advance of this kind
is even COOL policy on the part Of those resp'n-
sible saying nothing Of the ethics involved in
the case.
Generally speaking an arbitrary advance an
the price of prime necessity like coal bayon d
point that is fairly remunerat!ve TO the mln-
ing and carrying corporations is u*wiSe.--
Every such advance only increases the popular
distr,lst and prejudice against the capitalists
and corporations responsible for increasing the
cost of living, aud furnish fresh arguments
for SJciaiiste Iemagosu = Is We'll Us Tor those
who have the i.apus4r welfare honestly al
heart. feoa, and other pcGis DC no, want to
work their own uudoinI by the courts 2ni ~
new legislation of drastic kind, there should
be few unnecessary ALLIANCES in the price OF
the prime necessities Of life.
Ingersol on Baltimore.
Col. Robert G.. lncersll of New York
while in Baltimore on Monday said it was Quo
of the incest and bs grver ned cities he has ever
visited in the United $: ates. He w4s delight
ed with the trea' rnent accorded him, ami s.ia
| This talk about thieves aud thugs running,
Baltimore is silly. People get to- excited over
poitics down this way. 1t don't matter much
about the.a municipal fights. Ii there are
two candidates nlIs size up evenly in their at
tairments, nv doetfiiie * stick up to your
party and elect your man. Is th1is y ssiaf-
inc difference as to character and worth be-
tween the nominees, elect the best man. es,
T have heard of Mr. John X. Cowan leaving
the democratic party. l do not know the gen.
tleman, but / suppose it is the old story OF the
party leaving the man. Pretty much the same
as the fellow who rebels against a ra,iglon be-
cause he does not like the dcipline. He says
he is going to get ont, for few rascals have the
monopoly of control, and forsooth he must
blame the wiiai2 denomination. So he goes
around blowing hard co. awhile, and then
Joins the opposition, which he considers comes
closer to his idea of true religion. The truth
of the thing is, it is just what he wants. On,
yes, it is natural for some men TO be that way,
when they cannot get hat they want sup
pose Baltimore will be as nice "i.a: these fel-
lows get through as before" Col. lnsersGl is
a republican.